eric roberts

Boat battery advice:Which battery for your boat”

Boat battery Advice

Of course, most boat owners replicate car owners by replacing their old battery. Hence, by buying the exact the same new battery ! You are probably wondering which battery to choose! Especially, if you are a first time boat owner.

The familiar question is: What type of marine battery do I need!

or what size of battery do I need for my boat? So, select the right type and size of battery. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that your new choice of battery can keep up with all of the boat’s needs.
Surprisingly, I must confess that the decision is complicated. Selecting the right type and size of battery can be an overwhelming task.

Of course, due to the wealth of available choices in the battery market today, Consequently, boat owners do seem to have a good level of knowledge. About their boats and the battery system. As a result, if you have knowledge about batteries, Also, if you know what you want, looking for the best battery can make life a little easier.

Importantly, it will make sure that the battery is capable supplying enough power to the boat

Explicitly, the canal boat, including all the other types of river and marine boats, is a massive market for us at Batteriesontheweb. So, I am totally amazed at the huge number of boats that we have here in the UK. Probably because I have always lived in the centre of Yorkshire. Never before noticing the potential of this vast market for boat batteries.

So, since we started selling batteries for boats, I have come to realise what the attraction is to people and how keen and fanatical these boat owners are. Because I also deliver some of these boat batteries myself. Then my eyes have also been opened to the shear beauty and peacefulness of some of the waterways, canals and rivers in this great country of ours.

Because of selling batteries to these boat owners, then I have found wonderful places and people. Previously, hidden away in some marina or harbour, we have even delivered hundreds of batteries (not all at once) to remote canal moorings. Hence all over the UK. Indeed I am now beginning to understand the way of life that these lucky people are experiencing.

Boat battery Advice- Fortunately, batteries do not last for ever

Batteries are one of those consumables that we have to replace from time to time. You have to keep in mind that, marine batteries and canal boat batteries, don’t last forever.

So, at some point, they will lose their capabilities to store charge. Of course, boat owners usually know that their batteries are running low. Fortunately, many modern vessels are fitted with on-board equipment, to detect battery failure.

Best practice, in my opinion is to replace your batteries like for like. As a result of past experience, then I am sure that this is what most boat owners do. Perhaps they may change the make of battery, but generally they will stick to the same type. As I have said before, most boat owners know what they are looking for.

So, to make things a little easier then the BCI (Battery Council International) came up with some battery size guides. Of course, we now know these as guide battery sizes and are Group 24, 27 and 31 batteries.

So these groups can give the battery buyer a rough guide to the size of their replacement battery. For example, one of the most popular battery sizes in the battery industry is the group 31 battery, XV31MF. However I do not want to get too deep into specific battery types.

First time boat owners.

So, if you know nothing at all about your boats battery type. Say you are a first time boat owner. In that case, what you have to do is to identify amount of power that you will be requiring. For example a “water pump” (shower) uses about 5 Amps in an half hour period. Another one, is the TV they can use 4 Amps for a period of say 4 hrs. So, there are many guides for this information online. Including the excellent information on “sailboat-cruising .com“.

So the other important thing for novice boat owners is choosing the ideal dimensions of batteries for their watercraft. Specifically, you will be looking for a battery that, first of all, will fit into the space allotted for the battery (a larger battery may not fit).

Secondly, you have to take into consideration the fact that the battery of your choice will have to start the boat’s engine as well supplying all the other electrical gadgets on-board.

AGM batteries or Semi-traction batteries-Boat battery Advice

So, as I have commented earlier in this article, many modern marine craft are fitted with great technology and associated equipment. In my opinion then these boats will be fitted out with the AGM (Absorbed Glass Matting) or semi traction deep cycle batteries.

So, semi-traction batteries look like truck and large car batteries. In fact it is not that long ago, that some canal boat owners fitted either large car or truck batteries. In fact some still do replace their old batteries with this type of battery and the boats work perfectly well.

Of course, semi-traction batteries are constructed with thick lead plates. Enabling them to store more power and are available in brands such as Lucas, Numax, Banner, Bosch and our own brand ApolloPower. Surprisingly, these batteries have different levels of deep cycle capability. However the main point is that they are in fact deep cycle batteries. Specifically made for the job of powering your boats electrics.

Trojan and U.S.batteries best choice for solar storage

Many boats and indeed motorhomes now come with solar panels fitted. This became clear to me on a recent delivery to “Hull Marina” here in Yorkshire. So, a boat owner had just purchased 4 x Trojan batteries for his mid sized boat.

Explicitly, I could not get over the fact that every boat was different. Both in size shape and type. So, I was thinking about how difficult the boat battery advice must be when no two boats are the same ! In general the deeper the cycle the better when using solar energy to supply your boat batteries with power. AGM and semi traction batteries must be used.

However, I hope this article helps when choosing a new battery ! boat battery advice is not that easy ! without getting too technical of course.

About
Latest Posts

Follow me

eric roberts

Managing Director at Pellon Tyre and Auto Centre trading as batteriesontheweb.co.uk

Eric has been the owner of his automotive business for over 40 years now. Running his fast fit and MOT centre in Halifax along with his wife Michelle. Later adding the online battery businesses. Batteriesontheweb,mobilitybatterystore and their Ebay store.

Follow me

eric roberts

Boat battery advice:Which battery for your boat”

Table of Contents